Teacher Training in the Developing World: How One Zambian Educator Multiplied Impact

The sounds of music and children’s laughter ring out from Jessy Chitenta’s learning center. Jessy is a TeachBeyond member, serving her students and community from a renovated chicken coop located in Libuyu compound in Livingstone, Zambia. Here, many people live in poverty and education is secondary to making a living.

The children don’t seem to mind learning out of a chicken coop, and having an actual structure is an improvement for Jessy, who used to teach her lessons under a tree.

From Trainee to Trainer: A Leadership Transformation

Jessy’s teaching has also improved. TeachBeyond initially trained her as a tutor for its Open Schools Worldwide ministry. She then received additional training through the Sparrow Project, a teacher development program that serves the most under-resourced schools in the world. Many teachers in these communities serve their students joyfully but lack the full training to best teach their students.

The training Jessy received takes a four-year teacher education program and distills it down into six units running over a period of one and a half to two years. The lessons are grounded in a Biblical worldview. Teachers like Jessy fully engage in the creative and active lessons in order to implement them in their own classrooms.

Jessy was a natural. When she graduated from the program, she was identified as someone who would make a great Sparrow Project facilitator in the future. She is now training other teachers, multiplying the effect of TeachBeyond's mission.

“The goal is to produce not only transformed teachers, but teacher leaders,” said Sparrow Project Coordinator Joanne Allan. “Even if they never become facilitators with us, they now hold a certain level of expertise, and they can share with other people what they've learned.” 

Why Teacher Training in the Developing World Is a Long-Term Solution

The joy of teaching emanates from Jessy, and she is a talented instructor. Thanks to her training, the children attending Jessy’s learning center have access to quality education. Students feel safe and seen, and parents are seeing improvements in their children’s academics and behavior.

Jessy also has a vision for the future. She plans to start a community school and reach even more children. TeachBeyond has come alongside her to help make this dream a reality.

“Our hope is that as the teachers become transformed, it bubbles over and it transforms the children, which transforms our families, which transforms the communities,”

Joanne said.

Jessy’s story proves something powerful: a building does not define the quality of education inside it. Passionate, well-equipped teachers do. Through TeachBeyond’s Each One Matters campaign, educators serving in some of the world’s most under-resourced communities receive transformative, cutting-edge training that changes classrooms forever. One trained teacher can impact hundreds of students. One investment can ripple through generations. Each One Matters. Will you help equip the next teacher?